Deluges Easier On S.florida

South Florida can better handle the type of heavy rainstorms that have battered California this past week, experts say.

In California, 10 to 12 inches of rain over four days triggered rushing water and mudslides that have killed at least seven people and swamped 150 houses.

Parts of South Florida, especially the Hollywood area and northern Dade County, got the same amount of rain in just one day in October. Some homes were damaged, but no one died.

South Florida had it even worse in 1979, when 17 inches of rain fell in one day, said Broward County Water Resource Director Roy Reynolds.

``Can we handle it? Yeah,`` Reynolds said. ``Will our roads be under water? Sure thing. Will our yards be under water? Some will not be flooded.``

A foot of rain in one day would flood less than 1 percent of Broward County`s buildings, Reynolds estimated.

``The thing that gives us problems is also probably a blessing when it comes to flooding: We`re very flat and low-lying,`` Reynolds said.

That means South Florida is more flood prone, Reynolds said. But that also means there is no rushing water down a hillside and no mudslides like there are in California. And those are what are killing people out west.

Another advantage South Florida has over Southern California is the soil, National Weather Service meteorologist Llyle Barker said. The water sinks into the ground faster and better in South Florida`s sandy soil.

Southern California, like South Florida, had been mired in a long-term drought. South Florida`s ended last year with heavy rains. Now it is California`s turn.